Stroke or cerebrovascular disease is the name for several disorders that occur within seconds or minutes after the blood supply to the brain is disturbed. Symptoms may progress or fluctuate during the first day or two after onset; this is called evolution. When no further deterioration occurs, the condition is considered to be a completed stroke. The only warning signal that suggests susceptibility to a stroke is a transient ischemic attack (TIA). Strokes are characterized by the location and type of disturbance. The most common disturbance is a deficient supply of blood through an artery (ischemia). When this happens, the nerve tissue served by that artery rapidly loses its ability to function and may die. The dead tissue is called an infarct.
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in developed countries. Approximately 300,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year; one-fourth of them die, and half the survivors have long-term disabilities, including paralysis of face or extremities, speech disorders, loss of bladder function, inability to swallow or dementia. Stroke is more likely to occur in the elderly, and the risk doubles each decade after age 35 years. Five percent of the population older than 65 years has had a stroke.
Due to the lack of available pharmacotherapeutic agents, a significant percentage of the population subject to stroke or its after-effects are poorly managed. None of the drugs presently available are capable of preventing damage due to stroke and most, such as anticoagulants, have disturbing side effects. Clearly, current therapy has failed to "seize control" of this debilitating pathology. There is currently a need for pharmaceutical agents and methods that are useful for the treatment and prevention of stroke.